YAAC

The Young Arnolfini Artist Collective (YAAC) was a partnership project between Cotham School and Arnolfini, Bristol which ran from 2009-2011. Each year a collective was formed comprising of ten Visual and Performing Arts students from the North Bristol Post 16 Centre who worked alongside an artist to programme an ambitious series of exhibitions, events, workshops and talks.

YAAC’s aim was to make contemporary art more accessible for young people.

YAAC were a group of young artists, working collaboratively, learning and sharing new knowledge and skills to develop ideas and create original artworks. They worked with the staff at Arnolfini to gain an insight into how a contemporary arts centre operates and the different roles each member of staff has. YAAC presented their own projects and events as professional artists at Arnolfini, Cotham School and in external exhibition spaces such as Cabot Circus.

YAAC also worked with many other students from Cotham School as well as young people in Bristol, involving them in workshops, talks and exhibitions where they learnt new skills and gained a broader understanding of contemporary art.

After two successful years we are now researching ways to develop the collective into a more ambitious scheme, ‘The Arts Co-operative’. We are currently looking into funding options, which would allow us to broaden our connections both within Bristol and nationally, enabling us to work with a variety of art institutions and involve a wider age range.

Please see the YAAC website to view all the past activity and archive material: www.theyaac.co.uk